Heath Ceramics Brings Timeless Design to Wall Clocks Exhibit

In these days of high-tech gadgets, smartphones, and smartwatches, it seems like wall clocks are quickly becoming relics of the past - but not for Heath Ceramics. The famed artisan pottery company is kicking off its Design in Time exhibition that’s all about these classic timepieces.

Design in Time marks Catherine Bailey and Robin Petravic’s 10th anniversary as co-owners of Heath Ceramics and takes place simultaneously in both the San Francisco and Los Angeles showrooms. In total, the exhibition features 67 clocks by eight artists and designers, including Commune, Roger Herman, Geoff McFetridge, and Jeff Canham.

You won’t see cuckoo or grandfather clocks here. Heath brings in its own modern, yet timeless, design to this exhibition by collaborating with a handful of its favorite artists and partners. The result: an array of sleek, unique, and one-of-a-kind ceramic wall clocks. Some of the clocks incorporate fine-tuned etching, while others have bright, bold splashes of color; others are covered in stunning blue-and-white crackled glazes.

We caught up with Bailey, who is also Heath’s creative director, to talk about Design in Time.

1. Why have a show about clocks?

It's kind of obvious, but we are celebrating 10 years with Heath Ceramics this year, so we're celebrating "time." I had been thinking a lot about clocks, as I had the idea to do ceramic clocks as a product. It just seems to be the perfect object to punctuate this celebration. These clocks also give the artists an interesting foundation to create their own designs on. After this show, we'll continue with the clock that we're putting into production, so look out for that next spring.